Become a cat [Zhan Zhao]

The seaside is not silent, but there is a sense of tranquility.The sound of the waves sounded in bursts, as if with a certain fixed melody, which made people relax, and the exhaustion of the body also surged.Unknown seabirds beat to this whirling music like a bad drummer.A tan turtle crawls slowly across the sand, making its inefficient but sure-footed trek toward the water.

Zhan Zhao stepped on the wet and warm sand, and walked step by step to a dilapidated wooden house that was closest to him and was at the very edge of the cluster of scattered houses.The wooden house looked like a large part of it was rotten and decayed, but it couldn't be repaired in time, so it stood trembling and leaning like a bad old man in his dying years.Only a string of old Zhanfeng Duo is still hanging on the porch. Whenever the salty sea breeze blows, it will make a dull sound.

And not far from the wooden house, two-thirds of it was soaked in the pale driftwood in the sea, and the owner of the wooden house was sitting.The man was hunched over, with his elbows on his knees, looking down at something in a bucket.The muscles on his shoulders and arms continued to bulge with the movements, his thick arms and strong chest were exposed, as if he was not afraid of the cold weather.He is a tall and strong man, although he is old, with sideburns and messy hair, and a big goshawk resting on his shoulder.

The man was aware of the other party's existence earlier than Zhan Zhao. He glared at the visitor with his vigilant, bright eyes, and raised his body slightly, as if he was always ready to violently hurt someone.The goshawk seemed to have sensed the vigilance of its master, so it flew up with a long cry and hovered in the low sky, seemingly ready to attack the intruder at any time.

Zhan Zhao was attracted by these unfriendly eyes, and while he was secretly on guard, he was also secretly relieved - no matter what, seeing the same kind is a happy thing at first sight.So he changed his course and simply walked towards the sea in big strides.A few steps away there was a cormorant sitting on the sandbar, and it was standing still on a stone, even if Zhan Zhao brushed past it, it remained motionless and composed.

And Zhan Zhao didn't get distracted by these creatures living on the beach, he watched the man calmly along the way.Although the other party was just dressed as an ordinary fisherman, and he was extraordinarily laid-back, Zhan Zhao could see a familiar temperament from his demeanor—the other party was also a martial arts practitioner, and his martial arts were not low. .

Therefore, when he was seven or eight steps away from the man, Zhan Zhao stopped and put on a relaxed posture to show that he had no malicious intentions.He said, "Excuse me, let me ask you, do you know about Kuguo Island?"

"Your companion is at the home of the He family siblings." The man said in a rough voice, he answered irrelevant questions, and what he said was even more inexplicable.

Zhan Zhao raised his eyebrows when he heard the words, shook his head in surprise and said, "I'm alone and have no companions. I'm afraid your Excellency made a mistake."

"She arrived yesterday. She got lost in the jungle and was brought back by He girl." The man said to himself, and then took a deep look at Zhan Zhao, "You actually came out by yourself, it seems that the 'fog' 'Leave you alone.' His words seemed to have some deep meaning, but they kept it secret.

Zhan Zhao thought about it a few times, but he couldn't figure out whether the "companion" the man said "just arrived yesterday" was an enemy or a friend, and whether it was just a coincidence that he appeared here almost at the same time.He frowned slightly, but he stopped entangled in this question, and asked instead: "Then, do you know Bitter Fruit Island?"

"Ask the He family." The man replied loudly impatiently. He seemed unwilling to deal with outsiders, so he waved his hands vigorously and shouted, "Go away now, don't stay on my territory!"

Zhan Zhao had no choice but to take a step back, cupped his hands helplessly and said, "Since that's the case, could you please point me in the direction of the He family? I'm just here for the first time, and I'm a little dizzy."

The man mumbled something in his throat that sounded like a curse.He waved his arm to point out the direction, then lowered his head and started picking again in the bucket.However, his posture did not relax, and the goshawk hovering above his head still did not land.

Zhan Zhao nodded and thanked the man, then walked towards the general direction pointed by the man.People here seem to be unwilling to meet next to each other, and each family is far apart.Zhan Zhao passed a few more families along the way, and the fishermen he met had very similar attitudes. They were all surprised in their guard, and most of them seemed to be extremely surprised that he was able to come out of the jungle.Some of them were quite friendly, pointing out the direction of the He family when Zhan Zhao asked, but no one mentioned "companion" anymore.

After walking for a cup of tea along the coast like this, the sun has gradually set in the west, and the red setting sun dyes the gray sea water into blood.The waves, egged on by the night, grew stronger, drowning the tidal puddles that had been exposed not so long ago.Two fiddler crabs that were waving their big claws gave up the duel and rushed towards their own caves one after another.

And a small wooden house that looks exquisite and neat is just around the corner.

Before Zhan Zhao approached there, he first saw a short and thin girl with a pale face and slender hands and feet.She has very different physical features from the fishermen here, and is out of place with this coast.However, what didn't match her frail appearance was the huge wooden barrel in the girl's hand, which almost blocked her whole body.But the girl didn't seem to feel any difficulty at all, she walked extremely easily, and she didn't even mess up her breathing.

——The people here seem to have one thing in common, that is, they all possess martial arts.An isolated fishing village, a group of fishermen with martial arts skills, makes this place full of mysterious atmosphere.

With this in mind, Zhan Zhao walked towards the girl, stopped a few steps behind her, and asked, "Excuse me, girl, do you know about Kuguo Island?"

The girl looked back at Zhan Zhao, as if not surprised.Holding the beam of the wooden barrel with both hands, she shook her hair lightly. Instead of answering the question, she said, "Your companion is in the room. She has been sleeping since last night, and she looks exhausted." Looking at Zhan Zhao, there was a sense of condemnation, "You should go together, not separate. The 'fog' is dangerous."

When Zhan Zhao heard what his "companion" said again, his curiosity reached its peak.He nodded calmly and said, "Then I'll go and see him."

The girl let out a "hmm" and walked towards the afternoon carrying the wooden bucket, as if she didn't care that Zhan Zhao entered the house alone.

Zhan Zhao stepped over the threshold and walked into the house.The first thing that hits the nostrils is the smell of wood mixed with the fishy smell of the sea. After the mixture of several smells, it becomes milder, which greatly relieves the discomfort in Zhan Zhao's nose.

Then in the dim light of dusk, he saw a person sleeping on a simple bed in the back room.She curled up with hands and feet, and a thin quilt covered her body, covering half of her face.Her thin body was curled up in a ball under the blanket, making her look more like a tired cat.The top of the quilt gently undulates between breaths, outlining the jagged back, stubborn and unwilling to give in.

However, even if it's just an incomplete side profile, even if it's just the posture of curling up his hands and feet, it's enough for Zhan Zhao to recognize the true identity of this person who shouldn't have appeared.

Alan.

Zhan Zhao almost stopped in his tracks, as if he was forced to turn into a rigid stone in the blink of an eye.An almost absurd anger rose in his heart——Alan shouldn't be here, and he can't be here.He put down his face and begged Mo Chenfeng to accept her as his apprentice, how dare she chase after her without saying hello?Does she know what she is doing?Sentimental, no vision!He has taught her for so long, doesn't it mean that she doesn't even have this vision, and doesn't know which path she should choose is the best for herself?

The flood of anger made Zhan Zhao take another step forward, but stopped again.A Lan's peaceful sleeping face made him stop, which made Zhan Zhao clenched his fists in anger for his soft heart.But her face was pale, and her hair was scattered around her cheeks, making Zhan Zhao unconsciously think of what the girl said before.

After an unknown amount of time, he took a deep breath and sat down at a simple wooden table in the room.

The light dimmed, and Ah Lan's figure also disappeared into the night.However, Zhan Zhao was still able to outline the familiar outline, and every time his thin back rose and fell, his heart softened even more.Zhan Zhao began to secretly rejoice that Ah Lan was asleep, so he didn't have to face his most angry moments.

He didn't want to see her timid look, the kind of cautiousness and fear that she wanted to please.Zhan Zhao hopes that Ah Lan can be more confident, he thinks that she is no worse than anyone else, and she has the qualifications to hold her head up.

There was a screeching sound outside the door, Zhan Zhao frowned slightly, lifted his foot and walked out gently.The girl was looking in while holding the door frame, and when she saw Zhan Zhao coming out, she looked at him with vacant eyes, and asked in a low voice, "Are you still awake?"

Zhan Zhao shook his head, not wanting to wake Alan up.

The girl shrugged her shoulders, as if she felt helpless, and she seemed to be simply expressing that she knew.She waved at Zhan Zhao and said, "Come out, I'll have a few words with you."

Zhan Zhao was not displeased by her rash attitude, and walked over quickly.The girl led him to sit opposite each other on the two pieces of wood used as chairs in the yard, and then said abruptly: "My brother is going with me."

"..." Zhan Zhao squinted at the girl and asked, "Where are you going?"

The girl looked at Zhan Zhao in surprise: "Of course it is Kuguo Island. Otherwise, why are you willing to risk getting lost in the fog to come to this place?"

"Alan told you?" Zhan Zhao asked suspiciously, "She said we were going to Kuguo Island?" He still didn't know how Alan knew his destination.

The girl just nodded, and then brought up the old matter again: "My brother must go with him. Kuguo Island is far away, and I don't feel relieved to leave him here alone."

"Okay." Zhan Zhao agreed very readily, because it didn't seem to be a big deal, one more person is also one more labor force, after all, no matter how powerful this little girl is, she can't compare to a man.

Until he saw the little boy who seemed to be less than ten years old.

Although this child is much stronger than his sister, it still can't change the fact that he is still young.He ran towards his sister with a groaning groan, crashed into her arms, and then looked at Zhan Zhao with wary eyes.

Zhan Zhao wanted to reach out and pat the little boy's head, but the little boy's expression looked like he was about to bite him.So Zhan Zhao withdrew his hand, he didn't intend to give his hand to the child to grind his teeth.

The girl smiled apologetically: "He doesn't like strangers." Then she lowered her head and scolded him, "You ran into the woods again, I told you, don't run around in the woods, there are bears."

"I'm going to find Lao Gu and help him feed the eagle." The boy replied, then struggled to get out of his sister's arms, and ran to the back of the house again.

Zhan Zhao raised his head at this moment, and saw A Lan who got up at some point, holding the door frame with one hand, and looked towards this side with a guilty conscience.

He suddenly felt his heart beating violently, causing a burst of fire in his chest.